Birth Dateتاریخ تولد

Lady Fatima az-Zahra (pbuh) was born to parents of the highest rank and nobility, yet even her exact date of birth and even the year of her birth has not been recorded with certainty in history. Historians are not only divided regarding her biography, but they also differ concerning the dates related to the divinely guided leaders and the infallible Imams. Indeed, disagreement exists even over such critically important matters as the date of birth and the date of passing of the Prophet of Islam (pbuh). In any case, what has been mentioned regarding the birth of this heavenly star includes three well-known opinions: She was born five years before the Prophetic mission (be’sat). She was born five years after the Prophetic mission. She was born two years after the Prophetic mission. However, within the statements of narrators, scholars, and traditionists, there exists a strong and noteworthy indication suggesting that her birth occurred after the commencement of the Prophetic mission. This indication lies in the connection between her birth and the Meraj (the Ascension of the Prophet). It is narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) said: “On the night of Meraj, I was given an apple from Paradise, and from it the sacred existence of my daughter az-Zahra was formed.” Moreover, Shi‘a scholars generally date the Meraj as occurring from two years after the Prophetic mission up to six months before the Hijrah, further supporting the view that Lady Fatima’s birth took place after the beginning of the Prophetic mission.

On the other hand, it is narrated in the noble book al-Amaali by Shaykh al-Sadooq (r) that at the time of the birth of Sayyidah Fatima (pbuh), none of the women of Quraysh or Banu Hashim came to assist Lady Khadijah. Instead, they said: “O Khadijah, you did not listen to us and married the orphan nephew of Abu Talib.” It is an established point that if the date of birth is accepted as five years after the Prophetic mission, then during that period the Prophet (pbuh) certainly had supporters. In fact, there existed a group who were devoted to him with heart and soul. Lady Khadijah, therefore, would not have been in need of help from non-believers, and the taunt of “the orphan of Abu Talib” would have been baseless. On the other hand, some Shia and Sunni narrations associate the birth of Lady Fatima (pbuh) with the reconstruction of the Kaaba. This account of rebuilding the Kaaba, and of appointing the Prophet as the arbiter in placing the Black Stone (Ḥajar al-Aswad), undoubtedly occurred before the Prophetic mission or in its very early days. This is because in the fifth year of the mission, Quraysh had already become hostile to the Prophet, and therefore they would not have entrusted him with such an arbitration.

According to Shia narrations, Sayyidah Fatima (pbuh) was born five or two years after the Prophetic mission (be‘sat), whereas Sunni narrations support the view that she was born five years before the mission. The truth is that for such great and exalted personalities, the exact dates of birth, martyrdom, or passing are not the most important matters. Rather, what truly deserves the attention of future generations is that they come to understand who these unparalleled individuals were, how they lived their lives, and what impact they left on society during their time and for the future.